Sunday, April 18, 2010

You CAN Go Back To High School

After surviving a high school experience only surpassed in awfulness by Molly Ringwald in Pretty In Pink, I was thrilled to find redemption on prom night. Like Ringwald's Andie, I had my own Duck Man, a devoted guy friend who found everything I hated about myself loveable. He didn't seem to care that my naturally curly hair was unfashionable, or that my parents were too mean to spend $100 a new blouse because it had the right label. He was also the only guy who seemed oblivious to my sister, who had more than me in everything from popularity to filler for her bra (And yes, I realize those two are directly related).

When the time for prom came, he found out which dress I liked (even though I had said repeatedly I would never go), bought it in my size and showed up with it to surprise me. While our story ended just like that of Andie and Duckie in the movie, with no hope of romance, we did have a great night together at prom. It was one of only a handful of nights, in fact, I fondly remember from the entire four years I spent in high school.

So when my friend Stann asked me to cohost a red carpet entrance for the Spring Hill High School prom this year, I jumped at the chance. What's not to love about prom? Not only does it offer all those ugly ducklings out there like me the promise of redemption, but there's dancing. There's staying out late. And this time, I'd get to hold a microphone and run the show. I was delighted to find things haven't changed at all since I went to prom almost 20 years ago. I still had a killer dress, I still got to dance with the best guy at the party, and the popular girls still wouldn't give me the time of day.